Completely Arbortrary

Latest Episodes:

Let Your Neighbors See You Naked! (Leyland Cypress) Aug 22, 2024

Show notes

Just another arborvitae, the Leyland cypress (Cupressus × leylandii et al) has to be one of the most deplorable species we’ve investigated on Completely Arbortrary. Learn all about this tree’s poorest qualities, then join us for a segment of Slang Game!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Smokey Bad (Western White Pine) Aug 15, 2024

Show notes

The Great Fire of 1910 greatly changed the (literal) landscape of northern Idaho, as well as the continent’s population of western white pine (Pinus monitcola). What followed was one of the most successful and dangerous marketing campaigns in US history.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Xiāngfěi (Chinese-Nutmeg) Aug 08, 2024

Show notes

A fascinating tree with no shortage of fun facts, the Chinese-nutmeg (Torreya grandis) is a cornerstone of Chinese history and traditional medicine. And man, is it yummy (we think)!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sweet Pea (Tamarind) Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

We continue our plant-based diet with a giant of the culinary world, the tamarind (Tamarindus indica). Whether in chamoy or pad thai, this sweet pea is the darling of many a regional cuisine, worldwide!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Banana Sundae (Ice-Cream Bean) Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

You think ice cream grows on trees?! The ice-cream bean (Inga edulis) is one of nature’s greatest gifts to humanity. This agroforestry behemoth is South America’s fruity answer to sweet-toothed nature enthusiasts. And what is a fruit, anyway?

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chewing Gum (Sapodilla) Jul 18, 2024

Show notes

This is Plant-Based Diet: Part Chew, a new series from Completely Arbortrary all about trees that give us food! In this episode, we discuss the sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) a tree that gives us not one, but TWO delicious treats: fruit and gum.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ants and Fungiculture (Almécega) Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

Did ants invent agriculture? Kind of, yes! Learn how in this itchy episode on South America’s own almécega (Protium heptaphyllum).

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is Photosynthesis? Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

Hardship strikes the house of Arbortrary, so please enjoy this bonus episode all about our favorite process in nature, photosynthesis!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Weird Sex (Black Tree Fern) Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

No, it's not a Tree. But, it is a tree. The black tree fern has some incredible qualities, not least of which is the way it creates more ferns. Get ready to hear about some FREAKY stuff.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The City That Trees Built (European Alder) Jun 20, 2024

Show notes

About 1600 years ago, a group of refugees settled on a mucky swath of land that would one day be known as Venice. What followed is one of the greatest marvels of human engineering: a city built entirely on trees in water. Enter European alder (Alnus glutinosa), an ordinary tree with an extraordinary role in history.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.